Global Trends in Driver Anger Research (1981–2025): A Web of Science Bibliometric Mapping Study

Driver anger is a significant factor influencing traffic and transportation safety and has long attracted scholarly and scientific attention. Consequently, since the earliest studies, the number of publications addressing driver anger has risen rapidly. Nevertheless, there is a notable lack of knowledge regarding the scientific trends of international research on this topic. Against this backdrop, the present study aims to examine international articles published between 1981 and 2025 in the Web of Science (WoS) database through bibliometric analysis. Data were analyzed using VOSviewer soft ware (version 1.16.20). The number of articles has increased sharply since 1981, reaching a total of 2,050 publications. Within the bibliometric framework, analyses of author and journal productivity reveal that researchers and journals in the field of psychology occupy leading positions. The University of Queensland and Monash University rank highest in terms of publication output. Co-authorship and co-word analyses further demonstrate that terms such as emotion, aggression, anger, driver anger, and personality—closely associated with the discipline of psychology are particularly prominent, along with the researchers working in these areas. Based on the findings, several implications are drawn, offering guidance to researchers and institutions in identifying prevailing trends, leading contributors, and potential research gaps in the field.